4 Sixth Edition Marquis Who’s Who INSIGHT JOSEPH G. BELLA Vice President Methuen Historical Society Methuen, MA www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/497640 How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? I had family support, primarily from my mother. She was a smart, high-spirited woman and was able to handle all types of situations. She was old school but also able to transition into the present times. My mother was the person who made me realize I should move ahead and not step back. She helped my sister and me move forward — if something was doable, she would tell us to do it and not give up without trying. What is the most important issue/challenge you are dealing with in your industry? I worked at the employment office. Out of the six people that applied for my position, I was one of three that got picked up by the state. Nowadays, there are more job opportunities. How do you feel your industry has changed/evolved? We had just switched from the paper procedure to computers, and some of the older workers couldn’t handle the change. Being young enough, I was able to handle it. Computers actually helped in terms of assisting clients coming into the office seeking employment. We were able to categorize their skills and background more easily. What innovations or technologies do you feel will shape the future of your industry? It was easy to list files on the computers, and we had less paper to worry about. The computers also took up less space when putting files in order. It was a big change, but it helped a lot. RONNIE BERKE Partner Berke, Berke & Berke Chattanooga, TN www.berkeattys.com/firm-overview/ronald-j-berke/ How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? Tennessee has continually limited the rights of people in favor of businesses, corporations and insurance companies. The people don’t have lobbyists in the legislature, so we have to be creative and navigate around any limitations, if possible. What is the most important issue/challenge you are dealing with in your industry? It takes a lot to overcome the prejudice in the public’s eye about people who file lawsuits. Frequently, I get clients who come in that have been injured, and they say they are not the suing type. That’s true until they are injured, and then they understand the necessity of filing a lawsuit. Insurance companies are getting more conservative in their offers, so we have to try more and more cases. How do you feel your industry has changed/evolved? It’s much more contentious. We used to be able to meet with both adjusters and defense attorneys and negotiate in good faith. It seems now that they have taken on a very aggressive and negative attitude and don’t really cooperate in reaching a just result. They want to litigate everything or force clients to take a very low settlement. What innovations or technologies do you feel will shape the future of your industry? Technologies are helping to develop evidence to present to juries — things that will offer a proper perspective, like finding key documents for large commercial cases and class actions, which sometimes involve hundreds of thousands of pages.
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